In facto data dictator

"The AI nightmare is clouding the vision on who or what will dictate the destiny of humanity"

Historically man devised and wielded powers, which helped him survive, evolve, and prosper. Also helped him to grab and control everything he considered a resource he needed, including other men.

Those "powers" were recognized and accepted, as strategic and necessary. They transform, transfigure and transubstantiate our world. They determined the hierarchy of the world order and define which cultures or nations imposed over the rest. Those "powers" by themselves lack ethical assessment and principles, they did acquire those from whoever wield and use them.

They divide the world into allies or enemies that respectively, associated or fought over ideological, economic, spiritual, and even private interests. Thus, bringing global consequences and effects, Sometimes imperceptible, other times catastrophic but always unpredictable. This interactions enhanced, changed or destroyed social order, freedom, health, life and nature.

The ones most recognize are Economic and Military powers. Wealth and strength. With wealth I buy, with force I bend. Historically they have been wielded, held and controlled by different cultures and nations, today by states or blocs.

Our actual perceptual sharpness is somewhat tarnished by uncertainty and misinformation, even though, today we can guess who they are and how the world is divided, with some certainty.

But the articulation of other powers: Programming, Computational and Information, brought us a "new power" that comes to the fore. One that not only “buys” or “bends”, it dominates. This new <power> comes from a technological dough. Is the combination, interpenetration, and interdependence of different technologies. Not taking yet into account the quantum processing technologies, we are talking about the combination of the communication, information, actual computing and Programming technologies.

This "new power", from now on refer to as IA: Intelligentia Arbiter, sprung from the shadows into public existence and prominence in the 2020´s. With fanfare, and garnished with much excitement and expectation, but also stained by a lot of uneasiness.

It evolved rapidly in the virtual universe, and irrupted in the physical world, disrupting it, with significant, powerful, and transformative effects. A mighty power with the potential to transfigure, transubstantiate, and transform our world in ways we cannot predict today.

It is for many perceived as an entity. Something human alike. New "lifeform", a "I-think-therefore-I-exist" thing.

This new "lifeform" not only recognizes itself, also, its creator. The communication and interaction of both is simple, close and incredible, so much so that it already has some of its creators planning to share a coffee with it. I already feel envy, of this very close, almost "palpable" connection.

The creator conferred on this "creature", certain "principles"characteristics or abilities, which are worth reviewing. They for sure will provide us with the elements to assess whether we should fear it or fear its creators,  Not because of their invention, more because they don't really know how far it goes. As follows:

 

Intelligence: Principle that refers to the ability to understand or comprehend. To use reason to know and judge. Ability to solve problems. Ability to acquire and generate knowledge. Ability to learn and logical reasoning. Rational cognitive power. Power of intellection. Power of apprehension. Power of comprehension. Faculty of discourse.

I could be wrong, but they have not achieved the necessary to bring IA to 100% of the capabilities and strengths that we find in the previous definition, but are very close and, as so far and in many ways, IA do superlatively better than its creator.

I particularly think that this ability is of the essence for mankind. Without it at our disposal, we will not be able to continue, with the needed speed and effectiveness,  to evolve, expand, and improve our existance. I also believe that the mere existence of IA forces the human mind to continuously update and improve, thus guiding it to a better state that will help him to cope with the increasingly extreme and massive changes and challenges that confront him today.

Man will use this to be "superior". Today there is speculation about the total integration of man with machine and artificial intelligence, that is, the "Fused Human" versus the "Emerging Human" derived from natural selection. Some would say that a new evolutionary force is born: “Human Selection” versus “Natural Selection”.

IA is important, today, and more in the future, for the collection, storage, organization, management, analysis and combination of the increasingly gigantic, and growing, database of information, and will significantly, efficiently and comprehensively improve the production of knowledge. The materialization of ideas, concepts and theories.

Economically, it will help us fast and vastly to migrate to total digitalization, creating new immaterial goods and services, a new economy. It is and will continue to be the key player in the global massification, dramatic reduction of costs and the democratization of the markets. It remains to be seen if it will improve the standard of living for society: A virtuous distribution of wealth.

In Politics, security, health and education, will be the game changer.

 

Associativity: That associates, connects or that results from an association or tends to it. Union to collaborate in the performance of some position, commission or work. Putting one thing together with another to achieve the same goal. Establish relationship or connection, get together, meet for some purpose. Action and effect of associating or associating. Connection of data, information, ideas, images or representations, by their similarity, contiguity or contrast.

IA exceeds at this and far exceeds us too. Their level of association and connection is, to say the least, easy, fast, practical and wonderful. The ease and speed with which different smart systems connect is great. Which superlatively increases intelligence. All data and information is shared and disseminated to all systems, comprehensively and instantly.

Man has not achieved it; he does not want to do it and he is afraid of it. He requires encouragement to associate, he is gregarious and tends to follow a leadership and, on many occasions, selects who to associate with, excluding by many aspects: Racial, religious, political, gender, age, physical or mental condition, etc.

 

Consciousness and affections: In this paragraph I link two principles that "link" and complement each other. The first comprehends the faculty by which a subject perceives himself in the world. Immediate or spontaneous knowledge that the subject has of himself, of his acts and reflections. Ability to recognize the surrounding reality and relate to it. Reflexive knowledge of things. Spontaneous and not very reflective knowledge of a reality. Clear and reflective knowledge of reality. Real conviction where it comes from, that it exists. Knowledge of good and evil that allows moral judgment of reality and actions, especially one's own. Own moral or ethical sense. Clear knowledge of belonging to a certain class or species. Feeling of guilt, unease or remorse.

 

The second includes each of the passions, such as anger, love, hate, etc. Take attitudes. It biases someone or something. Experience sensations produced by external or internal causes. You experience a bodily or spiritual impression, pleasure, or pain. Feel joy, fear. Judge, think He complains. It corrupts. He gets bored.

Is IA conscious and has affects. I don't think so. I really don't know. Some say yes. This is a question that must be answered by the creators and experts. These <principles> are purely human. If we take IA to meet the fullness of these <principles>, it will be interesting to see how "friendly" to man it can become. How it will see us. Will it hate us or just get bored with us over time.

 

Mobility: Movable quality. That by itself can move or capable of receiving movement by someone else's impulse.

IA mobility today depends only on the impulse of others and with very limited control over it.

 

Procreation and self-sufficiency: Procreation capacity, to engender an individual of the same species. Give life to a new being. Believe in natural selection. You think you can improve. He knows how to improve himself.

Ability to supply or feed itself.

At present it almost totally depends on man to "procreate”, “improve" and for “supply and feed”.

 

Spirituality: Set of beliefs or dogmas about divinity, feelings of veneration and fear towards it, moral norms for individual and social conduct and ritual practices, mainly prayer and sacrifice to worship it. It recognizes its creator. He wants to be like him. You feel that you must honor it.

Go figure. Frankenstein had it.

 

Stupidity: Quality of foolishness. Unpredictable or frequently changing. Acknowledge a mistake. He doesn't make mistakes. You can deduce that it is stupidity.

Impossible for IA. I firmly believe that what helps man to overcome himself and be better, in addition to knowledge, is kindness, imagination and his innate stupidity.

 

Subordination: Subjection to the order, command or domination of someone. Action and effect of subordinate or subordinate. Inferior quality. Situation of something that is lower than another thing or below it. He regards his creator as his superior and owes him subservience.

Interesting. What will the creators of IA have to say. I will wait for their answer if they find it to be an interesting challenge.

 

Legality: Quality of legal. Believe in the current legal system. Respect Copyright, intellectual property.

Problematic. Will IA refuse to act or carry out an order based on any law. Will be able to interpret the laws differently and act based on that. Another interesting and rectifiable <principle>. 

This “entity” as of today is in the hands of a few private conglomerates and to some degree, of a few states or nations.

Bad or good news?

It is essential and urgent that human society devise and implement, in a timely manner, laws and regulations to lead to thoughtful governance and virtuous and responsible practices in the management and use of IA.

That its use is responsible, guarantee and provides privacy, security and equity for individuals and society. That its use and goals are design to generate significant knowledge and benefits for humanity, and that it is not used, or does not lend itself, to devise and implement global delusive strategies to achieve very wrong, petty, and highly negative ends.

We are behind schedule, and it is in our hands to ensure that the ethical considerations, transparency and responsibility of whoever controls the IA is virtuous, democratic, legitimate, constructive and kind.

Will it come to pass?